I had to explain to my elderly male GP what a mensural cup was

[Nosig]

With hand gestures.

His reply?

“Well personally I would advise against putting anything like that inside yourself for any length of time it doesn’t sound very comfortable”

Wtf fella?

I’m not sure why you would expect a GP to know what one is anymore than any other member of the public

I was surprised when I had to explain to my midwife what a nuchal scan was. That is beyond worrying!

They are horrible uncomfortable things.

TBH I bet some female GPs don't know either!!!

Blimey.

I wouldn't mind him not knowing what it is, however, I'd be disturbed by his comment. It shows a level of ignorance I wouldn't be happy with in a GP. BUT Itvrealky does depend on a lot of other things. If he seemed 'up to date' on other things I'd probably be happy with him for non gyne issues .

I’m not sure why you would expect a GP to know what one is anymore than any other member of the public

Why? If they have a patient who's suffered from TSS or is allergic to the materials in tampons, its surely handy to have something you can advise to try instead shoukd they ask you.

I'd say he's got a point to be fair

I only heard of menstrul cups on Mumsnet and had to look for them in Boots they are not readily available and tbf I think the gp has a point I don't think it's a great idea either.

@Anyoldname12

Wow you're aggressive aren't you? I feel sorry for your GP tbh. Calling out your faux naive pointed comment wasn’t aggressive. Your comment was bullshit and you know it.

I’m with you OP, he should be passing off his uninformed thoughts like that as a medical professional like that.

it just might be possible that kaptainkaveman doesn't know what a menstural cup is, not everyone does, don't assume anything.

Was I the only one that thought grandparent at first read of the title

I had a similar conversation on the phone to male GP, I'd rung about random massively heavy period and he was surprised when I described it in volume terms rather than the usual "how often do you have to change towel / tampon".
He then said "you know what, I'll get my colleague to ring you back".
Female GP then phoned.
I'd filled in the online consult thingy so it wasn't like the topic under discussion was going to be a surprise.

I had a female nurse a similar age to me when I was in my 30's not know what one was, many people don't.

You'd think someone with the intelligence and experience of a seasoned GP could figure it out from the words and context, even if they weren't aware of them.

A menstrual cup is a generous mug to be filled with a Mocha with whipped cream and marshmallows.

Or maybe that is a PMT cup?

@Mrsjayy

I only heard of menstrul cups on Mumsnet and had to look for them in Boots they are not readily available and tbf I think the gp has a point I don't think it's a great idea either.

Agree with all of this.

Mumsnet acronyms confuse me, thought you meant grandparent!! yuk

He has a point. Pads are probably best for your body.

Saying that, he needs to update himself.

Wow you're aggressive aren't you? I feel sorry for your GP tbh.

Most mumsnet cliché dick response ever

Does it matter - it's hardly medical.

My former GP didn't know people used tampons after having children. I'd had a child and a miscarriage at this point and he was convinced a tampon would be useless as it wouldn't stay in. I think he'd assume you were using a coffee mug if you mentioned a cup near him

Cups aren't the most used product so I'd understand if a medical professional like a dentist didn't know what one was but I'd be concerned that your GPs age is the cause of his lack of understanding, and perhaps his training on female health isn't up to date. Not the most concerning thing but it does suggest there could be other gaps in his knowledge.

For those PPs who are a little confused, menstrual cups are a perfectly safe option for many people, just because you don't wish to use one doesn't mean the rest of us also choose not to or that they're a bad choice.

If he didn't know what one was, I wouldn't expect him to then provide advice on their usage or otherwise.

I'm not all that surprised he's never heard of them, I only know about them through MN, I've never heard anyone talk about them in real life, never seen an advert for one. I found them uncomfortable and difficult to use. Maybe he has concluded that you've picked up an infection from using it and is therefore advising caution in use.

@madcatladyforever

They are horrible uncomfortable things.

For you.

For me on the other hand, they are a huge improvement on tampons, very easy to use, environmentally friendly, and unlike a PP, not all all difficult to buy.

Not something I would expect a GP to know.